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Departments of 1 Rheumatology and 2 Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark; and 3 Department of Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
Requests for reprints: Julia S. Johansen, Department of Rheumatology Q107, Herlev Hospital, Herlev Ringvej 75, DK-2730 Herlev, Denmark. Phone: 45-4488-4243; Fax: 45-4488-4214. E-mail: julia.johansen{at}post3.tele.dk.
YKL-40, a member of the "mammalian chitinaselike proteins," is expressed and secreted by several types of solid tumors. The exact function of YKL-40 in cancer diseases is unknown and is an important objective of future studies. YKL-40 exhibits growth factor activity for cells involved in tissue remodeling processes. YKL-40 may have a role in cancer cell proliferation, survival, and invasiveness, in the inflammatory process around the tumor, angiogenesis, and remodeling of the extracellular matrix. YKL-40 is neither organ- nor tumor-specific. However, the present retrospective clinical studies of patients with eight different types of primary or advanced solid tumors suggest that serum concentration of YKL-40 may be a new biomarker in cancer patients used as a "prognosticator." Elevated serum YKL-40 is found in a subgroup of patients with different types of solid tumors, including several types of adenocarcinomas, small cell lung carcinoma, glioblastoma, and melanoma. The highest serum YKL-40 is detected in patients with advanced cancer and with the poorest prognosis. In many cases, serum YKL-40 provides independent information of survival. Serum YKL-40 cannot be used as a single screening test for cancer. The use of serum YKL-40 has not received Food and Drug Administration approval for use as a biomarker for cancer or any other disease. Large multicenter retrospective and prospective studies of patients with different types of cancer are required to determine: (a) if serum YKL-40 is a useful prognostic cancer biomarker, (b) if serum YKL-40 can be of value in monitoring patients with cancer in order to provide information about metastases before these are detected by routine methods, and (c) if serum YKL-40 can be useful for screening of cancer together with a panel of other cancer biomarkers and imaging techniques. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(2):194202)
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D. L. Kolson YKL-40: A Candidate Biomarker for Simian Immunodeficiency Virus and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Encephalitis? Am. J. Pathol., July 1, 2008; 173(1): 25 - 29. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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J. S. Johansen, K. Brasso, P. Iversen, B. Teisner, P. Garnero, P. A. Price, and I. J. Christensen Changes of Biochemical Markers of Bone Turnover and YKL-40 Following Hormonal Treatment for Metastatic Prostate Cancer Are Related to Survival Clin. Cancer Res., June 1, 2007; 13(11): 3244 - 3249. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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